Children's home in Lambeth

Inspector Lee Kirwin

This monitoring visit . Ofsted conducted a full inspection of this children’s home on 27 July 2016. This resulted in a judgement of inadequate. Ofsted made 15 requirements at this inspection. Three of these were subject to legal compliance notices. The purpose of this inspection was to evaluate the extent that the provider had met the requirements and compliance notices. At the time of this inspection, no children were living in the home and the staff team was working in other homes run by this provider. This means that it was not possible to test a number of relevant areas, nor was it possible to evaluate the impact on practice in relation to the experience and progress of young people. For example, it was not possible to determine whether the home assesses the impact of new admissions on existing residents, or whether they can meet their needs. It was not possible to evaluate how the home currently engages with the wider

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Inspector Lee Kirwin

professional network in order to promote the best interests of young people. The inspection was facilitated by the current manager of the home. A compliance notice was issued requiring the provider to demonstrate that staff are recruited in line with safe recruitment practice. Most relevant checks are now being carried out but the provider does not always verify references or evidence that staff have produced proof of address. This potentially undermines the safeguarding measures that are designed to ensure that the provider only employs staff who are suitable to work with vulnerable young people. This compliance notice remains unmet. A compliance notice was issued requiring the provider to ensure that records in relation to staff rotas were accurate and accessible. The provider could only produce one rota covering a period of four weeks and this was not an accurate reflection of the staff who actually worked in the home. The provider has updated

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Inspector Lee Kirwin

their records in relation to young people being admitted to and discharged from the home. These are now accurate and up to date. A compliance notice was issued requiring the provider to ensure that an independent visitor undertakes monthly quality assurance visits and that the manager uses these to make improvements to the service. This is now happening and therefore this requirement is now met. Because the home could not provide accurate staff rotas, they were not able to demonstrate that during the period since the last inspection, sufficient staff were on duty to meet the needs of the young people living there. They were unable to demonstrate that the use of temporary staff did not impact on the consistency of care provided to young people. The manager of the home has not undertaken any recent training in safeguarding and the staff team has not undertaken any training around child sexual exploitation. They have not undertaken any training to help them identify and

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Inspector Lee Kirwin

protect young people who may be at risk of radicalisation. A number of the home’s policies have not been suitably amended to address shortfalls and meet the requirements made at the last full inspection. The home’s location risk assessment does not show how the home works in partnership with community stakeholders in order to identify and reduce risks in the local area. The home’s policy in relation to lone working does not provide sufficient guidance for staff to make an informed decision about the circumstances where lone working is deemed to be unsafe. The home’s policy in relation to how decisions are made in partnership to suspend staff from work following an allegation of mistreatment remains unclear. The home’s policy and guidance in relation to staff using mobile devices to record young people does not indicate how young people are informed that this may occur. Nor does it make provision to ensure that the placing social

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Inspector Lee Kirwin

workers or young people give their consent to this practice. The manager of the home has improved his knowledge of the home’s electronic recording systems and can now access more information. Some information, such as previous staff rotas, is still not accessible to him. This undermines his ability to have oversight of practice and monitor the quality of care provided to young people. Since the last full inspection, he has not completed a manager’s report to evaluate the quality of care and safeguarding practices in the home. The fact that many of the requirements made at the last inspection remain unmet, suggest that the leadership and management of the home do not effectively use feedback to inform service development. The provider does not yet have a workforce development plan in place to identify the strengths of the staff team and their development needs. This means that there is no strategic plan in place to identify how the skills and knowledge of the

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Inspector Lee Kirwin

workforce will be promoted in order to promote the welfare of young people and help them to make progress. The manager reports that he now has dedicated time to undertake management tasks. The provider has updated their recording systems in relation to fire safety. Fire drills and equipment checks take place at regular intervals and staff are undertaking training in fire safety.

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately run home, registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered person(s) meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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13: The leadership and management standard

(1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; (e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. This is with particular reference to making sure that the use of temporary staff does not prevent young people from receiving consistent care from staff who are well known to them, and who

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13: The leadership and management standard

know them well. This is also with reference to ensuring that there are sufficient staff on duty to meet the needs of each child. 15/12/2016

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13: The leadership and management standard

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills 15/12/2016 to meet the needs of each child. This is with particular reference to ensuring that all staff have up- to-date training around child sexual exploitation, risks of radicalisation and first aid.

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13: The leadership and management standard

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— (ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. This is with particular reference to ensuring that the manager of the home responds effectively to address complaints from young people and uses their feedback to improve practice in the home. 15/12/2016

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12: The protection of children standard

12. —(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. This is with particular reference to ensuring the availability of staff when young people are missing from the home. 15/12/2016

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12: The protection of children standard

(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; (b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively 15/12/2016 from harm; (c) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. This is with particular reference to ensuring that the home is clear in relation to its approach to lone working and that lone working is demonstrably safe for staff and young people. This is also with reference to ensuring that the home’s location

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12: The protection of children standard

risk assessment demonstrates that key partners are consulted and that all risks have identified actions to reduce risk.

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12: The protection of children standard

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (e) that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. This is with particular reference to ensuring that the home’s procedures in relation to dealing with allegations against staff specify actions that the home will take to investigate and follow up allegations. The procedure should also be clear about how they take advice to inform decisions about whether to suspend staff while investigations are underway. 15/12/2016

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32: Fitness of workers*

(1) The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (2) The registered person may only— (a) employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or (b) if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). (3) The requirements are that— (a) the individual is of integrity and good character; (b) the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; (c) the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and (d) full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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32: Fitness of workers*

This is with particular reference to the need for the provider to provide evidence of safe recruitment practice for all staff employed in the home. 15/12/2016*

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45: Review of quality of care

(1) The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least once every six months. (2) In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— (a) the quality of care provided for children; (b) the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and (c) any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (3) After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (‘the quality of care review report’). (4) The registered person must—

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45: Review of quality of care

(a) supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and (b) make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. (5) The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. 15/12/2016

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14: The care planning standard

(1) The care planning standard is that children— (a) receive well-planned care from the home; and (b) have a positive experience of admission and transition processes. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person should only accept placements for children when they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and 15/08/2016 when they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children.

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37: Other records*

(1) Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. (2) The registered person must— (a) maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; (b) ensure that the records are kept up to date; and (c) retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. In order to meet this requirement, the provider must ensure that records of all staff rosters are available. They must also ensure that information in respect of young people admitted to or discharged from the home is accurate and up to date. 15/08/2016*

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24: Monitoring and surveillance

(1) The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if— (a) the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children; (b) the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance; (c) so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and (d) the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. This relates specifically to the use of mobile phones to make video recordings of young people without their knowledge or consent, or consent from the placing authority. 15/08/2016

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24: Monitoring and surveillance

*These requirements are subject to a statutory requirement notice.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  The registered person should have a workforce plan, which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of Regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: ─ detail the necessary management and staffing structure (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose; ─ detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding and health and safety and mandatory qualifications); ─ detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; ─ detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see

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Recommendations

Regulation 33 (4)(b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff, including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children's home since its last Ofsted inspection. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. out in the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about "Ofsted" which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of this guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234 or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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